Building Smart in Fuel Crunch, Bike Industry's Gear Shift Pays Off

When hardcore cyclists think of a hot new ride, they dont usually envision baskets, bells and headlights. But just as soaring gas prices are creating a new population of Segway believers, theyre driving bike manufacturers big and small to break all their old rules and cater to a new generation of bike commuters. A dispatch from the reinvented world of the no-fuss two-wheeler.

MORE NEW BICYCLE TRENDS

Joe Breeze built some of the first mountain bikes, helping to invent the sport in the late 1970s, so his peers were baffled when Breeze turned his back on off-road riding in 2003. He retooled his company, Breezer, to produce practical transportation bikes. "People said, 'Joe, what are you doing?' They thought I was crazy," he says. Some predicted he would go bust.

Now, with gas topping $4 a gallon at the pump, Breeze is reaping rewards for his foresight. Sales are up 40 percent this year. "May was our best month ever," says the Fairfax, Calif.-based bike designer. "And I expect June will be even better."

The high price of gasoline, along with a heightened eco-consciousness, is spurring consumer demand for utilitarian bikes--and changing the American cycling industry. Companies that once sold only mountain or road racing bikes, built for recreation and fitness, are now rushing to produce bikes for commuting and running errands. Breeze calls them transportation bikes; others label them urban, city, asphalt, pavement or town bikes. Typically less than $1,000, these are bikes built for noncyclists.

"It's our fastest-growing category," says Jake Heilbron of Kona, a Vancouver bike company that, like Breezer, once built only mountain bikes. Kona's Asphalt line now accounts for 25 percent of the company's sales.

"Gas prices and climate change are reshaping how consumers view bicycles," says Eric Bjorling, manager of Trek's lifestyle and urban bikes. "The bicycle is being reinvented as a simple transportation solution."

Breezer's top-selling Villager typifies the new no-fuss bike. It comes with a rack, fenders, mudflaps, kickstand, chain guard (to keep grease off pants), front and rear lights powered by the rotation of the wheels and a shock-absorbing seat post. Handlebars are upright as on a mountain bike, giving riders a comfortable sitting position. "You can ride it in a suit," Breeze says.

To meet the needs of urban riders, Trek sent designers to observe cyclists in cities and then tailored the Soho to an urban lifestyle. Handlebars hold a bike lock. Tires are reinforced with Kevlar to minimize flats. "Flatting is a big worry of commuters," Bjorling says. Padding beneath the nose of the seat allows apartment-dwellers to shoulder the bike upstairs.

Unlike derailleurs, transportation bikes often have hub-shifting systems. Instead of changing gears by moving the chain laterally, hub shifting takes place inside a sealed cylinder on the rear wheel. The chain never falls off, and hub-shifting systems are cleaner and need less maintenance. Riders can also shift gears while stopped.

"It's a perfect shift every time," says Andrew Juskaitis, global product marketing manager for Giant, which features hug gearing on some of its TranSend commuter bikes. Giant doubled production of its TranSend line for 2009 after selling out this year. "We can't keep them in stock," Juskaitis says.

Though there is no industry-wide data on the sales of transportation and commuter bikes, "there is clear anecdotal evidence that more are being sold," says Marc Sani, publisher of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. Bike shop owners agree. "New customers are walking in every day," says Justin Brown, owner of Revolution Bicycles in Arcata, Calif. "I've never been so busy."

Scott Adams, a transportation planner in Nashville, Tenn., bought a Breezer Uptown 8 in May for errands and shopping. "I wanted a bike that I could just jump on and go, something that was really functional," Adams says.

Cargo or sport utility bikes are an emerging category. These two-wheeled pickup trucks feature oversized, reinforced racks and an extended wheel base for strength and stability. "Cargo bikes allow you to carry heavy loads without starting your car," says Benjamin Sarazin, founder of Yuba Bikes in Sausalito, Calif. The fledgling company sold out its first shipment of 100 Mundo utility bikes in three weeks; buyers included a gardener, a baker and a campground in Maine.

Interest is also growing in electric bikes, which allow riders to go further by providing a battery-powered boost. John Sagebiel commutes 30 miles each way from his home in the mountains outside Reno to the University of Nevada on his Optibike. "It allows me to cover a lot of ground," he says. "My commute would take too long on a regular bike." Giant is banking on electric bikes and just opened a factory in China to build them.

Breeze says cycling still has a long way to go in the United States, but today's climate, both financial and otherwise, has caused it to come a long way, too. "Back when I first started doing this, the idea of selling bikes with fenders and racks was way out there," he says. "Now everybody is doing it."

Bicycle retailers do not keep nationwide sales figures, but industry analysts, shop owners and manufacturers agree that the trend is obvious: high gas prices mean more commuters on two wheels. (Photograph by Pierre Verdy/AFP/Getty Images)

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Popular Mechanics participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.